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Posts from 03/13/2018

Responses to Midterm Evaluation Comments

Responses to Midterm Evaluation Comments published on

This post summarizes some of the changes that I am going to make to the course, based on the comments people made on the #WednesdayWrite: Midterm Evaluation post before Spring Break. Because there were a lot of comments about the grading system, I am writing a separate post on the changes to the grading system, which will be up by the weekend.

Comments on Daily Discussion Posts

Problem
The way that the site was set up there was no way to see all the comments that a person had made. This arrangement made it hard for someone to tell which posts that they had commented on and which they had not.

Solution
I have changed the Discussion system that the site uses so that there are a few more tools available. This video provides an overview of the new capabilities:

How to Add a Gravatar (Optional)
Gravatars are the little images that show beside a person’s name in comments on the course website. The word Gravatar itself stands for Globally Recognized Avatar, as the official explanation states. If you do not have a Gravatar set, the site displays the sideways G image. You do not have to add a Gravatar for this course, but you may if you’d like.

To upload an image for your Gravatar, you have to create a WordPress.com account (or log into one if you already have one). You need to use your vt.edu email address in order to match the comments you have made on the course website. Once you have setup your account, you can follow the instructions for Uploading Your First Profile Image.

Break Genre Analysis Report into Milestones

Problem
Mile MarkerSeveral of you commented that you were a little overwhelmed by the size of the Genre Analysis Report. You requested more milestones to help break up the project.

Solution
It’s easy enough for me to give you more structure for the project. Realize too that you can create your own milestones as you work on your proposal. When you create your schedule in your Short Proposal, you are, in fact, creating your own milestones. I aim to have a checklist of milestones for you to incorporate into your proposals on Saturday.

Add Quizzes

Problem
QUIZ: Who is your favorite Doctor from Doctor Who?A few people asked about adding quizzes to the course. They suggested either dropping some projects or supplementing the projects with quizzes to help with comprehension.

Solution
This request is harder to deal with. First, the department requirements for the course call for writing several different kinds of projects. Even if I add quizzes, I can’t drop the projects.

Second, quizzes don’t work well as a way to learn writing. People learn to write by writing. If there were quizzes, they would not be the multiple choice kind. Instead, they would be short writing activities that asked you to apply the readings to some particular scenario.

Since we are at the point in the term where you work on the longer, harder projects, I hesitate to add any more writing activities. For now then, I will not add any quizzes.

Add Job Application Resources

Problem

Application - penOne of you requested that I add information on writing job application materials to the course. In particular, the course could benefit from information on resumes, cover letters, personal statements, and other job application documents.

Solution
I’ll add some readings and information on job application materials to the Daily Discussion Posts later in the term. The reason I stopped covering the customary job application materials was that most students taking the course have already written what they need for an internship or job search. The large number of seniors in the course, for instance, created these materials months ago (and many already have jobs). By fitting the materials in as Daily Discussion Posts, those of you who want can benefit from the info, and those of you who already have your materials won’t be bothered with busywork.

Final Comments

I am still working on changes to the grading system in response to your comments on the midterm evaluation. I will have that information posted later this week.

Additionally, if you want to say anything more about how the course works, you can add a comment to this post. I am always eager to improve the course if I can.

 

Photo Credits: Mile Marker by Preservation Maryland, QUIZ: Who is your favorite Doctor from Doctor Who? by methodshop.com, and Application – pen by Flazingo Photos—all three on Flickr and used under a CC-BY-SA 2.0 license

 


 
Last updated on Tuesday, March 13, 2018

#TuesdayTutorial: What to Include in Your Proposal

#TuesdayTutorial: What to Include in Your Proposal published on 14 Comments on #TuesdayTutorial: What to Include in Your Proposal

Lynda.com Login Help

Lynda.com videos are free to Virginia Tech students with your VT.EDU login. Start at the VT.EDU login page to access these resources.

For your #TuesdayTutorial, I’m sharing a series of videos on Lynda.com that goes over the different parts that make up a proposal. Altogether, the videos will take 28m53s of your time. The videos include information all of the following sections:

  • Overview of proposal parts (4m40s)
  • Prefatory parts (5m28s)
  • Body parts (5m7s)
  • Ending parts (4m31s)
  • Appended parts (4m22s)
  • Visuals (4m45s)

Log in to see the video series. A preview is below:


Writing a Proposal by Judy Steiner-Williams

Comments?

In the midterm evaluation, some class members said that the comments on the Daily Discussion Posts were often redundant. To help make the comments more original, I am adding some specific questions that you can respond to.

After watching the videos in the series, read through the comments to see what others have already said. It’s your responsibility to add something new to the discussion. Think of comments like class discussion: You wouldn’t repeat what others in class said in a classroom, so don’t repeat ideas in our online discussion. Aim to say something new.

Here are some discussion starters to inspire your comments:

  • What one piece of advice from the videos stood out to you as good (or bad) advice, and why?
  • If you have written or used a proposal in an internship or job, how did the proposal in the workplace compare to the advice in the videos?
  • Choose one of the sections of a proposal and a specific audience of readers. Tell us how you would customize the section for that specific audience. For example, what would you include in the prefatory parts if your readers were potential new clients who were unfamiliar with how your company works?
  • An elevator pitch is a short, oral kind of proposal. If you only had one to two minutes to persuade someone to follow your recommendation, which part of a proposal would you include, and why?
  • What parts would you leave out of your elevator pitch proposal, and why?
  • Visit the Search page on the U.S. Grants website. Find a grant that relates to your career field, and compare the information on the sections required for the grant to those described in the videos. If you notice differences, talk about why the changes are there. Be sure to include a link to the grant you are discussing.

In addition to these specific questions, feel free to comment on anything else you noticed about the videos, just as you have in the past. You can also reply directly to someone else’s comments.

 


 
Last updated on Saturday, March 10, 2018

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